Two Ways To Play: Is PlayStation Played?

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Japanese electronics maker Sony (SNE) has cut the cost of making a PlayStation 3 console by 35%. According to Bloomberg, this will help the company narrow its losses and possibly pave the way for a price cut next year.

California-based researcher iSuppli says it now costs Sony nearly $449 to make the newest PlayStation 3 console. This is down from almost $700. The latest version has about 30% fewer parts.

Some believe Sony needs to drop its price by as much as $100 to remain competitive. Last month, PlayStation 3 sales fell 19% from a year earlier, while the Ninendo Wii and Microsoft's (MSFT) Xbox 360 both gained.

So far the company has declined to say definitively whether it plans to cut the retail price of the unit. From the Bull Pen: We've talked about the Japanese plays before. The downside catalysts simply aren't there. Those bullish can set a sell stop below $20. From the Bear Cave: We could see more gains being taken on the Japanese yen, so bears willing to test the downside can consider the ETF (FXY) with a buy stop in the $113 to $114 area.

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